Jazzy is a Miniature Australian Shepherd, which is actually an American breed of dog. Jazzy lives in California, and her favorite activities include going on walks, playing “catch” with her red frisbee, and having her tummy rubbed. To celebrate National Walk Your Dog Month in 2023, check out these books featuring lots of fun facts and great stories about dogs: Read More

Celebrate National Walk Your Dog Month 2023 with some of Jazzy’s favorite canine characters: Read More

The term ‘cupcake’ originally referred to how cupcakes were baked -- in a teacup! Not to confuse matters, but “cupcake” also once referred to a cake made with ingredients measured by the cupful (for example, 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs). However, this second type of cupcake was usually baked in a pan, not a cup. Today, cupcakes are typically baked in muffin tins. Does that mean cupcakes are muffins in disguise? Definitely not! Not only are the ingredients and mixing methods different for cupcakes and muffins, but cupcakes also have frosting (and frosting makes ALL the difference)! To celebrate National Cupcake Day on December 15, 2022, learn how to bake your own cupcakes and other sweet treats (including muffins!) with these fun baking cookbooks: Read More

Jazzy’s whipped up some sweet reads for National Cupcake Day! Read More

Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times between 1937 and 1948. Nobel Prizes are rarely given posthumously, and upon his death in 1948 Gandhi was no longer considered eligible to receive the Prize.  Over the past 120 years many remarkable people have been nominated for a Nobel Prize but never recognized as Nobel Laureates. Others have been forgotten or excluded when their partners received recognition. Celebrate Nobel Prize Day 2022 by reading about some of these outstanding individuals who didn’t receive a Nobel Prize (but perhaps should have). Read More

Five different Nobel prizes have been awarded almost every year since 1901 to individuals and organizations deemed to have made the most important contributions to world peace, physics, chemistry, medicine and literature. A sixth prize, for Economic Sciences, was added in 1968. Jazzy’s 2022 Nobel Prize Day Bookshelf celebrates a number of well-known Nobel Laureates, as well as Alfred Nobel -- the man who made the Nobel Prize possible. Read More

Scarecrows have been used by farmers to protect their crops for thousands of years. Europeans who emigrated to the US during the 18th century brought their custom of making scarecrows that resembled humans. They dressed their scarecrows in worn-out pants, shirts and coats, placed old hats on heads stuffed with straw, and tied red handkerchiefs around their necks. They called these scarecrows bootzamon or bogeyman. While today’s farmers no longer rely on scarecrows to protect their crops, the scarecrow has become a symbol of the fall harvest season. Celebrate the fall season in 2022 with some of these fun stories featuring scarecrows: Read More

Fall into reading with Jazzy’s Fall Bookshelf for 2022! Read More

Since 1938, the Caldecott Medal has been awarded every year by the American Library Association to the “artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” Watercress, illustrated by Jason Chin and written by Andrea Wang, was the Caldecott winner in 2022. The Caldecott Medal is named for English illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886). Caldecott is credited with originating the modern picture book by using his colorful illustrations to help tell the story rather than simply reflect the written words. Created by Rene Paul Chambellan in 1937, the bronze medal’s design is based on one of Randolph Caldecott's illustrations for The Diverting History of John Gilpin. It features the image of a man riding a runaway horse surrounded by geese, dogs and children. To celebrate Picture Book Month in 2022, enjoy some of these gorgeous nonfiction picture books chosen by John Schu and Colby Sharp for their 2023 Mock Caldecott List, illustrated by Kate Berube, Sophie Blackall, Jason Chin, Christopher Denise, Chioma Ebinama, Eric Fan, Terry Fan, Deborah Freedman, Michaela Goade, Madelyn Goodnight, Edward Hemingway, Molly Idle, Yas Imamura, Rafael López, Deborah Marcero, Zahra Marwan, Meghan McCarthy, Daniel Minter, Frank Morrison, Christopher Silas Neal, Doug Salati, Erin E. Stead, Young Vo, and Gracey Zhang. And here we collected Jazzy’s 2022 Picture Book Month Bookshelf for you. Read More

In honor of Picture Book Month 2022, enjoy these beautiful picture books by illustrators Galia Bernstein, Matthew Cordell, Leo Espinosa, Veronica Miller Jamison, David Roberts, Isabel Roxas, Lorna Scobie, Benson Shum, Jessie Sima, Aimeé Sicuro, Grant Snider, Diana Toledano, Kaz Windness, Billy Yong, and Yuval Zommer. Read More